“We Can’t Imagine Our Lives Without Them”: From Maine to Margraten
- Forever Promise Project
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
When Barbara and Gerard “Butch” Guimond first connected with Paula and Wiel Gielkens in January 2016, they received a photograph that would become the beginning of a remarkable relationship.
It was the first of what would become hundreds of photos exchanged over the years between two families, one in Maine and one in the Netherlands, joined by the memory of Corporal Alfred “Fred” Guimond, Butch’s brother, who was killed in World War II at just 22 years old.
Butch was only one year old when his brother died. He has no memories of Fred himself. Yet, through the Dutch grave adoption tradition at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Fred’s life and service have continued to reach across generations and across the ocean.
For decades, Dutch citizens have tended the graves of American servicemen who never returned home. For the Guimond family, learning that Fred’s grave had not only been cared for, but honored with such devotion, brought comfort and a sense of connection they could never have expected.
“The sad part,” Barbara shared, “is that my husband is the last remaining sibling of his brother. While we are doing our best to share the story with as many family members as possible, the idea that the Dutch have been tending his grave since the end of the war would have meant so very much to his parents, brothers, and sisters.”
Barbara and Butch now describe three families in Holland as part of their own family. During their travels in Limburg, they visited places where Fred’s Army unit had been, bringing them closer not only to the history of his service, but also to the people and communities that have kept his memory alive.
Paula Gielkens passed away in 2022, but Wiel, now 95, remains steadfast in his care and friendship. When Barbara sent him a copy of a recent television interview (link below), he wrote back to tell her that her Dutch was getting better. “We correspond at least once a month,” Barbara said, “and can’t imagine our lives without these remarkable folks.”
That is at the heart of Forever Promise Project: to help families of American service members discover the Dutch adopters who have honored their loved ones for decades, and to ensure these connections are preserved for future generations.
“While Alfred ‘Fred’ Guimond only lived for 22 years, and my husband was only one year old when he was killed, his life of service has now brought us all together and touched both Holland families and here in Maine forever,” Barbara wrote. “All of the remaining soldiers’ families need to know these wonderful people,” she said. “Thank you for starting this project. It is of great importance even after 81 years, and because there are new generations of relatives who have no idea.”
The Forever Promise Project connects relatives of American service members buried or commemorated at the Netherlands American Cemetery with the Dutch adopters who honor them. If your family has a loved one buried or memorialized there, we invite you to complete our questionnaire and help preserve these meaningful connections for future generations.
We are grateful to Barbara and Gerard “Butch” Guimond for sharing Fred's story with us, and to Paula and Wiel Gielkens for honoring Fred's grave with such care and devotion.
If you have a Forever Promise Project story you would like to share, we would be honored to hear from you. Please write to us at info@foreverpromise.org.
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